2012-2017: From "Halftime in America" to "Our competition is Tesla" and Super Cruise

[calisnow]

Times are so good it's easy to forget how recently they weren't - and how bad things were. To our international friends on the forum - forgive a moment of reflection on my country. The imminent debut of Cadillac's impressive Super Cruise system, along with learning that VW's chairman Herbert Diess said "in the old world our competition is Toyota, Hyundai, and the French...in the new world it is Tesla" gave me goosebumps. It also brought to my mind Clint Eastwood's Chrysler commercial from only five years ago: (I still can't watch it without my jaw involuntarily clenching as my eyes begin to glisten). I was recently in Detroit - it is difficult to describe the disorienting combination of awe, melancholy, regret and hope one feels while looking at the battered-but-still-grand buildings and factories there and seeing the signs of new life emerging from decay.

Today we have a strange situation - two American companies (Cadillac and Tesla) which have both been counted out more times than I can count - will shortly have on the market the most functional autonomous systems available for sale anywhere. Cadillac in particular has gone from a joke to a brand that has regained a lot of its prestige in recent years while going through so many failed attempts at renewal.

As for Tesla - the crazy dream of a couple engineers and one workaholic, eats-pain-for-breakfast visionary leader - the fact that Diess explicitly acknowledged Tesla as VW's main competitor brings to mind this: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you - then you win." That may or may not have been said by Mahatma Gandhi but the point is - on point.

Don't misread me, international friends - my point isn't about winning or "beating the Germans" by a few months or a model year. It's about - it's about a kind of feeling of relief - of "wow we're still alive" mixed with genuine pride for what these Americans have accomplished in an era when many have (with good reason) wondered if Americans could still accomplish much of anything.

 

[calisnow]

 

[calisnow]

K enough of this - back to work everybody.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

@calisnow You've become fairly profilic with your weirdposts. I like it.

As for Autonomous and your post, Audi is on the ball on that one. AP2 can't seem to even see a ball. Don't get me wrong: Supercruise looks great, but Audi's first Level 3 car in the world is a big deal. I don't see the U.S. having the point on that yet.

We shall see who gets where first, so far all the are vapor as far as products on market are concerned...

But on Tesla and EVs, you are right. They totally deserve respect for singlehandedly resuscitating and jumpstarting the industry. Kudos to that side of the pond on that - definitely.

 

[calisnow]

Anxiety this isn't the place for the insult-wrapped-inside-a-compliment aka subtle takedown ("I enjoy your frequent strange posts") - as somebody recently described your writing style and content in a private message they sent to me. It also isn't the place to mention Audi - your compulsive need to try to disagree even in a small way with everything you demonstrate only that you are slightly "out of tune" socially so to speak and your reading comprehension lacks. You are free to say what you like on the forum obviously but your reply of course functioned to change the mood - you know this. This speaks more of your own psychology than anything else. It's a subtle social faux pas Anxiety but a faux pas nonetheless. There was of course nothing "funny" meant by the photos of Cadillac and model 3 - to call them funny is not to compliment the author of the post in this case of course.

You are far more sophisticated and subtle in your insult technique than bladerskb. He's Adam sandler crossed with a small child while you're - not. But seriously, chill out sometimes.

@calisnow You've become fairly profilic with your weirdposts. I like it.

As for Autonomous and your post, Audi is on the ball on that one. AP2 can't seem to even see a ball. Don't get me wrong: Supercruise looks great, but Audi's first Level 3 car in the world is a big deal. I don't see the U.S. having the point on that yet.

We shall see who gets where first, so far all the are vapor as far as products on market are concerned...

But on Tesla and EVs, you are right. They totally deserve respect for singlehandedly resuscitating and jumpstarting the industry. Kudos to that side of the pond on that - definitely.

oure

 

[AnxietyRanger]

I genuinely enjoy your posts of this kind.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

One thing I did not add in my original message, even though I intended was "As a fellow weirdposter, ...". I certainly acknowledge some of my own posts have been weird and voluminious by TMC standards...

Kind of regret now I didn't include that. Maybe it would have conveyed my sentiment better.

The thing is, I thought your post was enjoyable (as have others of its style earlier) and deserved some banter in response. Nobody else was biting. I thought you would be OK after our numerous courteous exchanges with the style. Certainly no offence was intended.

Yeah, the style was a bit bold and camaraderiesque of me - and backfired obviously. Something was lost in the translation...

As for the like buttons, they lack the granularity many times to be fully accurate. Funny seemed warranted given that I did not agree with one half of the premise (but did agree with the other half), so IMO Like was out, and that to me you seemed to take the topic in a light hearted fashion as well (#3)...

So, I wanted to convey something IMO positive still in acknowledgement of your post. I considered Funny a positive in this context and am a believer in that intent matters. Still, I have now undone the rating.